morgan



(No Model.)

H. W. MORGAN. Casket or Coffin Handle.

Patented Nov. 9,1880.

N. PETERS FHOTO-LITNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D c.

Uwrren Tamas Karena serene HUBERT W. MORGAN, OF WESTFIELD,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO H. W. ELY, S. O. CARPENTER, ERASTUS COLLIN S,J. S. CLARK, \V. F. JOHNSON, DEXTER AVERY, AND H. W. MORGAN, ALL OF SAMEPLACE.

CASKET OR'COFFIN HANDLE.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,320, datedNovember 9, 1880. Application filed August 25, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBER'I W. MORGAN, of Westfield, county of Hampden,State of Massachusetts, havein vented an Improvement in Gasket or OofiinHandles, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to casket or coffin handles, and has for itsobject the production of a novel class or kind of such trimmings as anew article of manufacture.

Until a quite recent period it has been customary to manufacture casketsof hard wood, such as mahogany, walnut, and cherry, the better class ofcaskets being rubbed and finished to present a polished surface. Othercaskets of wood have been finished with wood. veneers polished, and morerecently caskets have been made more or less of metal, and also ofvitreous or other substances which will not rot or perish as quickly aswood.

To avoid polishing the solid wood or veneers, which requiresconsiderable time and is an expensive operation, caskets of hard andother woods and of metal have been covered with a textile covering, suchas woolen cloth, velvet, and silk, the colors being black or white. Thehandles applied to these textile-covered blacksurfaced caskets have beenmade of silver, metal silver-plated, German silver, and of White metal,all more or less burnished and having bright surfaces. This class ofhandles employed on black or white cloth-covered caskets are consideredobjectionable, as affording a too great contrast, and if silver handlesare used they are quite expensive.

The object of my invention is to produce strong, serviceable, neat, anddesirable textile covered casket-handles.

I have found by experiment that I may, by means of a plaiting orbraiding machine or by a circular loom, cover a casket-handle with aseamless textile cover, presenting a neat appearance, and showing butlittle, if any, metal, and the surface of the article so produced may bemade to resemble lusterless black cloth, or velvet, or silk, accordingto the material selected for the textile cover made in accordance withmy invention. My invention herein to be claimed is therefore acasket-handle having a seamless textile covering, the same being andconstituting a new article of manufacture.

Figure 1 represents one form of casket-handle ,Fig. 2, another form ofhandle made in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 3 a section takenalong Fig. 1.

The attaching-plates a, to receive screws by which to secure the handlesor side bars to the casket, are composed of metal, are also the socketparts I), that receive the hand-pieces c, the said socket parts beingpivoted or otherwise secured to the said plates in any usual way.

The hand-piece 0 will be composed of a rigid core-piece of wood or metalor of metal pipe, 2,having upon and surrounding it a tubular seamlesstextile cover, 3, fabricated upon the core-piece by means of an ordinarybraiding or pla-iting machine, such as now employed in whip-making orcord-covering.

To finish the end of the handles I cover acorn-shaped or conical piecesof wood 4 with a seamless textile cover, 5, in the manner justdescribed, the said pieces 4 and covers constitn tin g end pieces. Theseend pieces have turned or other stems 6, to enter sockets in thecorepiece 2, and between the ends of the covered core-piece and endpieces I shall preferably apply socketed washers d of metal, having adark or light surface or edge, as may be desired, or wood, india-rubber,or leather 5 or, if desired, I may also cover the washers with a textilecover. The end pieces are further finished at their outer ends by meansof tips 0, of metal or wood, the latter being textile-covered, ifdesired.

In the drawings I have omitted the textile covering for the washers andtips.

The core for the hand-piece may be of greater or less length, accordingto the distance it is desired that it shall extend along the side of thecasket, and it may be embraced or held at suitable distances by suitablesocket parts, I).

Gaskets for children will have handles covered with a white textilecovering.

9 I can produce a surface to resemble woolen cloth by first covering thecore with cotton thread and then flocking the tubular cotton coveringwith a woolen flock. This I prefer to do because of its cheapness. I canalso, if desired, employ threads having cotton cores or centers andcoated or covered with wool or silk, such class of threads being common.Threads entirely otwool are too elastic to be employed inbraiding-machines.

In another application I shall describe and claim easkettrimmings havinga flocked surface, the flock being deposited on wood or metal, or both.

Hand-pieces provided with textile covers afford a better surface for thehands of the bearers-a surface on which the hand or glove will not slipas easily as on metal; and my improved handle may also be made of largerdi- HUBERT W. MORGAN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. ELY, HENRY W. ELY.

